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Ava is one of those brands, which I quite rarely review but every time I do, their bras pretty much fit me like a glove. Their availability is not as good as with some other Polish brands such as Kris Line or Ewa Michalak but I am fortunate to live in the same city where the Lumingerie lingerie online store is based – so I have access to many Polish brands that are carried nowhere else in Finland! I popped in at the Lumingerie storage to say hi to the lovely owners, and Mervi decided to put together a bag of goodies for me, the sweetheart she is. This particular set has been very much on demand, so if you see your size on the web store, grab it while you can (psst, they also offer free delivery within EU)!

The Design: The Ines is a non-padded balconette style which reminds me a lot of Panache and Cleo bras – in fact, it’s something that Panache and Cleo would create if they made a love child together. What I mean by this, is that the shape of the bra is beautifully rounded as with most Cleo signature balconettes but the construction is a bit more elaborate to offer a tiny bit more support, especially around outer breast area. The cut of the bra is called “Side Support Bra” at the website but it is still not too full-coverage which is something you would typically expect from a Panache bra.

The style of the Ines set is quite young and hip yet sexy – the leopard is still very much on trend and the black/raspberry colour combo keeps it sassy. The stretchier lace upper panel compliments the bra beautifully and brings together the four-piece cup construction.

The Fit: When buying Ava bras, you need to remember that their cups run on the bigger side. I would actually go as far as saying they run exactly one cup size big, as my usual European bra size is 70J and this bra fits me very well in 70I. The cups are still very spacious and could perhaps even endure some period size fluctuation. The band is firm in 70 and is rather something between UK 30 and 32 than a solid 32. To be frank, the Ava 70 band is a perfect fit for me: I am exactly between 30 and 32 with Panache and the Ava 32 (70) band is just snug enough to feel comfortable yet sturdy on my body.

The cups of the Ines are quite deep as you would expect from a Polish bra. However, the underwires are not particularly narrow, which is something you need to consider if you like your wires are narrow as eg with the likes of Ewa Michalak. I would say The Ava wires are quite close to Samanta and Ewa Bien wires, which is a rather good width for me personally.

Comfort: The way I see it, there are two ways to judge if a bra is comfortable enough for everyday wear: A) after the “breaking-in period” (the few times when you wear the bra for a first time and then wash it) it shouldn’t “feel” too much while wearing it, and B) it stays put when you are active. The Ines ticks both of the boxes, especially the latter! Don’t get me wrong – you will totally feel it when you wear it for the first few times and the centre gore especially tacks my sternum very firmly. However, the bra does “loosen up” a bit after a few wears and thus becomes more comfy over time. The sturdiness is still there though – this bra lifts heavy! It stays and feels supportive no matter what, which is a sign of a well-thought-out full-bust bra.

The Ines hooks at the back with three hooks and eyes in the bigger sizes and features fully adjustable straps which is always a great feature regarding comfort. This means the bra can be adjusted no matter the shape or the size of a person wearing it. It also comes quite high on my armpits but as the materials are not scratchy, I actually enjoy it as it means my breast tissues near the armpit area is fully encased.

The Ines bra comes with two different types of panties – regular short-style knickers and a thong. Obviously, I went for the shorts, as I like my panties to cover a bit more and feel comfy no matter what. My only issue with the knickers is that they are cut quite small – I thought I would be fine with size Medium as my size hasn’t changed for the bigger in many months but it appears, that Ava does run very small with their knickers. Sure, I can wear the Mediums but I wonder if the Large would have been a more flattering look. That thought in itself feels peculiar to me as I usually still wear Small-Medium with all other brands!

Hey loves! How is spring treating you? Mine has been busy busy busy, as you may have noticed from my absence here at the ol’ blog. Today I am bringing you some goodies from Poland again: Ewa Bien sent me these lovely things a few months ago and I am “a bit late” with introducing you to Maruni B151, which is a new semi-soft full-bust style from the brand. This bra style goes up to Polish L-cup, which is a rough equivalent to UK HH-cup. I asked for bigger cup sizes and that is what I got! Here’s how I liked the style…The Design: I chose Maruni as my B151 design as it spoke to me with its beautiful colour and lovely embroidery. There is nothing juvenile or “too” girly about Maruni – it is something that will probably speak to women who are past the cutesy period of buying ruffles and bows (however, some of us are never over it!) and want something that makes a statement. Maruni reminds me of a beautiful jewel with its design and thus it takes its place is my “better” underwear drawer.

The shape of the B151 is a regular semi-soft style, which is something Polish brands are proud of and will keep as their staple cut in many collections. I know exactly why: many women enjoy the sturdy feeling and shaping of a padded bra but the fit can drive you crazy, if the cut is not perfect for you. Enter: seams and non-padded top part. The thinner layer of fabric usually conforms to ones breast shape better than stiff padding and will suit a plethora of breast shapes. This particular bra has a three-part cup construction with a rounded shape and a balconette-style cut.The Fit: I asked for 70J as it seems to be my regular size with Polish and other EU-sized brands, and I had worn it with Ewa Bien bras in the bras. As you may remember, I reviewed one other bra of theirs a few weeks ago, which was in the same size and fitted very well.

This was no exception: the size was pretty much spot-on, regardless of the band fitting a tiny bit smaller than with my other Ewa Bien bras. I would personally not size up with it, but I would say the material is a bit more restricting so take that into consideration if you are between sizes and want to stay comfy. I like my bands on the stretchier side as I do not wear my bras out easily and want them to feel comfy from the get-go. However, if you don’t have tons of bras like yours truly, you may prefer a more rigid band material for some extra staying-power.

The cups are a really good size for me and the semi-soft style ensures that the bra fits my upper breast tissue with ease – however, the material is not very stretchy so if you are more full-on-bottom, there may be some looseness if you are between sizes for example. As the fabric is very thin, the looseness wouldn’t show as much as with a fully padded bra though. The cups are quite deep but also on the wider side, so I would imagine this could be a great bra to someone both plus size and big-busted.Comfort: The B151 seems like a great basic style for full-busted women who want some extra bit of luxury to their everyday lingerie. The materials are excellent quality and the set is overall pretty comfortable, depending on whether you like your bra bands stretchier or not. Personally I would have felt comfier in a stretchier band that would have been a smidge wider as well. The common trend in Poland seems to be that even full-bust bras need to look as dainty and elegant as possible, hence the lack of wider bra bands and full-cup options. This is fine by me, but I do enjoy a wide band in my everyday bradrobe as well. The straps are strudy and 3/4 parts adjustable which is a bonus; however, they could be a bit more closely placed in my opinion.

The bottoms of this set, which I received in C410 short style and size M, were quite practical and comfortable. The sizing is true to Polish brands and thus a bit on the smaller side for us used to UK-sizing. The M is a rough equivalent of size Small in UK, and still a bit skimpy. This particular style was cut rather low so I would compare it to size 10-12 Cleo hipster panties (hope that makes sense?). Overall still, great style for everyday wear for those who like their panties cut low!

If you would wish to give this style a go, it’s now on sale at the Ewa Bien online store for 139 zl for the bra (sizes 65-100 B-L) and 68,60 zl for the short bottoms (sizes S-XL). Still plenty of sizes left so do snag a set for yourself as well!

Have you ever heard about Gorsenia? Polish lingerie scene is a world of its own and even though I have been privileged enough to try some of the most well-fitting gorgeous designs from many Polish brands, there are still some I am sure I have not heard of and definitely haven’t tried personally (if you are working for a Polish brand I have not yet featured on 2COP, please feel free to email me and introduce yourself!). Gorsenia is one of the brands that have not yet received a ton of exposure in the lingerie blogosphere which is why I thought it would be important to feature them as soon as I got the chance.

Well, that chance occurred a small while back when I went to the Lumingerie storage to say hello to old friends. As per usual, I test-ran a few new styles and also, wanted to try some of the strappy styles that I knew Gorsenia was offering for us full-busted gals. I had tried a few of their half-cup balconettes before and really liked the styles and construction, which is why it was no surprise I ended up falling in love with their non-padded bras as well. Finally Mervi dug out an older Gorsenia style for me to try and as they only had a few left-over sizes left, she gifted me the Evita set without even asking for a review. I was super happy but still thought to myself: well, I might as well report something about the fit, as there are not that many Gorsenia reviews out there. Here’s how I liked the sultry Marlies Dekkers-inspired Evita-set.

The Design: The Evita set and especially the bra takes a lot of inspiration from the original Marlies Dekkers two-strap style that was quite popular a few years ago. When Dekkers claimed bankruptcy (and has recently started to heal and rise again) other brands were swift to take on the challenge of creating something similar to fill the gap in the market. The trend was also highly influenced by the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon which raged in the market for a couple of years and has since left a permanent mark in the strappy bondage-style lingerie styles, that are still very popular. I am still personally a big fan of the strappy styling and think that its a whimsical take on the lingerie-as-outerwear trend that makes a simple outfit instantly less boring.

The two straps above the cups are paired with simple mesh and satin fabrics which make the bra perfect for everyday-wear. the place where the strap meets the cup and also the centre gore are adorned with cute little embellishments which give the bra a more sophisticated look to it. The shape of the bra is very rounded and very similar to Cleo non-padded balconette bras which are infamous for their orb-like look. The bottom half of the cups is lined with a light satin-y fabric but the upper panel remains totally sheer to keep the bra sexy and sultry.

Can you notice that Mr. 2COP takes my pics these days? Thus the cheesy smile ❤

The Fit: Well now onto the most interesting part! First of all, Gorsenia is one of those brands who are unfortunately quite inconsistent with their sizing and depending on the style, I can be anything from 65-70 I-K with them. This is why I would try to search for a specific bra review online to find out what the sizing is like with each individual style. The bands run usually similar to eg Curvy Kate so a little on the looser side, especially for a Polish brand. I usually take a 70-band with almost every single Polish brand except for Samanta, but Gorsenia bands are quite stretchy, meaning you should go down a band size from your usual Polish band size. Their bands start usually at 65 which is a bit of a bummer for the more petite girls out there. The 65 ie 30 band fits me really well though and I love how snug and comfy it is at the same time, even though it only features two hooks and eyes.

The bra cups on the other hand run quite large with Evita. So large indeed, that I went down two whole cup sizes and there was no bulging whatsoever. This bra is size 65I which translates roughly to UK 30G but definitely feels more like a Curvy Kate 30H or perhaps a 32GG with another British brand. However, the Gorsenia padded half-cup balconettes do NOT run this big, so I would probably stick with your regular size with them or perhaps size down just one cup size. The cups are rather average when it comes to depth and width which is why I would again recommend to try this bra if you are a fan of Cleo. The fit is especially good for us full-on-top ladies as the bra has quite a bit of room in the upper cup section and also, the straps lay nicely if you have more breast tissue for them to sit on.

Comfort: Despite of the inconsistent sizing, I think Gorsenia is worth trying for the comfort factor only and of course, the stunning styling. The materials are very lightweight, maybe not the best quality, but still nice on even a more sensitive skin. For the price (39 € for the bra and 19€ for the panties) it is a great everyday set which goes under regular t-shirts and jeans like a dream and also looks gorgeous. I have really no complaints when it comes to the comfort aspect of this set: the wiring is spot-on, the straps placed well and they are also fully-adjustable.

The bottoms are high-waisted but not as much as I would like – on the other hand, Mervi told me that on her, they are super high because she has shorter torso than me. So each to their own and not everything fits the same way, even when it’s something as simple as panties. The Gorsenia bottoms run quite small and I am wearing a Medium with these – so these are pretty much in line with every other Polish brand! I would have loved to have seen a bit of strappy styling on the bottoms as well but I am sure some gals prefer them like this: pretty but yet simple enough to not show through tighter jeans or pencil skirts.

If you are interested in Gorsenia, do check out the Lumingerie online store for some of their most gorgeous styles. They do have some Evita sets left as well, so take a look if they still carry your size (the sizes are 65-90 D-L)! Delivery is FREE to all EU-countries! Have you ever tried Gorsenia bras? If so, how have you found their fit? Let me know in the comments below! xx

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